Crowley organizes ‘Cell Phones for Soldiers’
BY PETE DAVIS
City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley wants to use old cell phones to help soldiers overseas.
In order to do so, she launched a drive to collect old cell phones that can be recycled into prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas, as part of the nationwide “Cell Phones For Soldiers” program.
The program sends phones to ReCellular in exchange for funds to purchase calling cards, and one recycled cell phone provides an hour of talk time for soldiers abroad.
“‘Cell Phones for Soldiers’ is a great way to help connect American heroes abroad with their families back home,” said Crowley, who cited statistics from the Pentagon that said there are more than 200,000 troops currently serving overseas. “Over the next two months, we hope to collect 1,000 cell phones which will allow soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to talk with loved ones in the United States. Hundreds of millions of Americans dispose of their old cell phones every year. Instead of throwing them away, I hope people will donate them to this great cause.”
Anyone who wishes to donate a cell phone can bring them to Crowley’s office at 64-77 Dry Harbor Road in Middle Village or the office of Congressmember Anthony Weiner at 80-02 Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens.
“Cell Phones for Soldiers” was founded by teenage siblings, Robbie and Brittany Berquist, from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the non-profit organization has raised millions of dollars in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“‘Cell Phones for Soldiers’ is a great program because it supports the soldiers oversees and abroad in combat connect with family back home,” said Ronny Burdier, a Glendale resident who served in Afghanistan from May 2007 to August 2008. “The program seeks out family and moral support from back home and that is important. It’s a great program for this community and, as a soldier, I encourage people to support it.”
For more information, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
